State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier to run for Miller seat

State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier became the first Bay Area politician to declare Monday that he’ll run for the congressional seat being vacated by Rep. George Miller.

DeSaulnier, a Concord Democrat who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, will run for the Contra Costa County seat that Miller, D-Martinez, has held since 1974. Miller announced Monday that he would not seek re-election.

DeSaulnier, 61, has been in the state Senate since 2008, with earlier stints in the Assembly and as a Concord city councilman and Contra Costa County supervisor.

He was widely thought to have his eye on the Senate president pro tem’s job, which will be open when Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, is termed out after this year.

In a statement, DeSaulnier said he hoped to “help bring an end to the brinksmanship and gridlock in Washington, so that we can move forward with President Obama’s agenda.”